An anonymous tip line created in response to 1999's Columbine school shooting is poised to record more than 18,000 reports of threats this school year.

Why it matters: Safe2Tell is the front line in Colorado's effort to prevent school violence, and remains as relevant as ever after the deadly shooting at a Texas elementary school this week.

Threat level: The volume of threats is expected to increase this week, as is typical after a school shooting takes place, and officials are urging people to call the hotline if they see anything out of the ordinary.

• A report of a weapon at Northfield High School in Denver briefly locked down the campus Thursday.
• Boulder police arrested a 14-year-old on Wednesday for threatening a shooting at a middle school.

By the numbers: So far this school year, the state has received 266 Safe2Tell reports of planned school attacks, significantly up from the prior year, but closer to par with pre-pandemic numbers, according to annual reports and officials in the attorney general's office, which oversees the program.

• The majority of tips are related to suicide threats, bullying and drugs, with 95% actionable.
• The remainder are false reports (2%) and non-malicious misuse such as prank calls (3%).

The big picture: Earlier this school year, total Safe2Tell reports topped the 100,000 mark since the tip line's inception in 2004.

• The numbers for this academic year represent an increase from the 2020-21 term, but the figure remains below the record of 22,332 in the 2018-19 year.

Keep reading … how it works

Months after the deadly shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch in 2019, a state audit revealed that Colorado's $100 million, two-decade effort to improve school safety was haphazard and showed little evidence of making schools safer.

What happened: The next year, Colorado lawmakers created a new task force with public safety leaders to better coordinate the state's response, given its deadly history.

• "We're in a scary time in society right now, and we have to take school safety incredibly seriously … to ensure we don't ever have [a shooting] here again," state Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, a bill sponsor, told Axios Denver.

Yes, but: Gov. Jared Polis' administration never spent the money to create the task force and it never convened, Axios Denver has learned.

• The next year, the administration recommended eliminating it altogether.

What's new: Growing impatient, Colorado lawmakers pushed back earlier this year and approved new legislation to make the working group permanent and require a meeting by the end of the year.

• The bill allocates $160,000 to get the effort underway, and increases spending to $225,000 in the second year.

What they're saying: The administration claims they didn't launch the initial task force because they didn't have the money and its mission was redundant with ongoing work, Polis spokesperson Conor Cahill told Axios Denver.

• Despite his view, Polis plans to sign the new bill "to continue state efforts to reduce gun violence," Cahill said.

The other side

Step away from the chaos and into this light, bright Capitol Hill home, nestled in a blissful landscape rich in Denver history.

Background: Architect and auto mogul Ralph Schomp — of the Schomp Automotive Group — and his family meticulously reimagined the layout, paying tribute to its 19th-century heritage.

Why we love it: The home mimics the soiree-friendly atmosphere of the late 1800s. It also boasts a traditional library with a suede ceiling and cigar-room-turned-bar, all hearkening back to old-school fashion.

Tour the inside

🍺 The iconic downtown mainstay casually known as Bar Bar has started a fundraising campaign to stay alive. Donations would help pay for rent and utilities. (Westword)

🔬 A presumptive case of monkeypox has been identified in Colorado. The state health department is working with the CDC to confirm details. (Fox31)

🚧 A criminal trial started this week for a Castle Rock man accused of running a fraudulent "Build the Wall'' fundraising campaign, pocketing money which donors believed would help build a barrier along the southern border. (Colorado Sun)

🍎 A group of social studies teachers advising the state Board of Education is recommending limiting LGBTQ references in the state's social studies curriculums, citing "age appropriateness." (Denver Post)

⚖️ Former employees of Colorado’s judicial department will not face criminal charges regarding a state fraud audit into alleged misconduct because prosecutors say they didn’t have enough time to investigate the case. (Denver Gazette)

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👀 We have an announcement!

What's happening: Axios Denver and PBS12 have partnered on a short-form weekly video segment that will feature Axios Denver reporters offering "smart brevity" rundowns of each week's top stories.

Why it matters: PBS12 is the community licensee in Denver, meaning 75% of its content is local and 25% is national programming.

• We share the same mission of hyper-local news from a trusted source.

Plus: They target a diverse audience.

• This allows us to build a broader following and continue innovating in the local news marketplace.

What's next: Our debut episode, featuring Alayna, launches today! You can watch it online or catch it on air on PBS12.

• All weekly episodes will be available on PBS12's website.

🇺🇸 Celebrate the holiday all weekend at the 50th annual Memorial Day Weekend Festival along Denver's Old South Gaylord Street, including food trucks, drinks, live music and local vendors.

🎻 Catch the Colorado Symphony perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony all weekend at Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets start at $15.

🎨 The 23rd annual Denver Arts Festival is this Saturday and Sunday in the Central Park neighborhood, featuring 150 booths, live music, a pop-up winery, beer tent and activities for kids.

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